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Nottingham Forest have appointed former player Martin O'Neill as their new manager following the sacking of Aitor Karanka on Friday.

Karanka was dismissed for failing to lead Forest to their target of being in the top six at the midway point of the season. O'Neill has been tasked with making up the four-point gap to sixth and earning Forest a place in the play-offs.

Forest announced the appointment of O'Neill on Tuesday morning, saying that they were 'delighted' to welcome a club legend back to the dugout.

"One of the original and most-loved ‘Miracle Men’, Martin is finally realising a life-long dream in managing his beloved Nottingham Forest," said Forest in their official statement. "With his commitment to the club, knowledge of the game and passion to succeed, O’Neill will be aiming to take the club back into the top flight of English football and make the miracle happen again."

O'Neill spent the majority of his playing career at the City Ground, making over 300 appearances for Forest during a decade at the club, most of which he spent working under Brian Clough.

He was a key part of the Forest side which won the First Division title, two consecutive European Cups, and two League Cups over the course of three years between 1978 and 1980.

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This will be O'Neill's eighth managerial job. He was sacked from his most recent job as Republic of Ireland manager in November following a run of one win in eleven matches, which culminated in relegation in the UEFA Nations League.

O'Neill is Forest's eleventh manager since June 2011.